1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the field of graphical user interfaces and more particularly to a graphical call flow builder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems exist that allow callflow designers to write simple grammar options or separately select prebuilt grammar files in graphical callflow builders. Some systems are described below. There is no system that allows designers who do not have any technical knowledge of speech grammars to both select a pre-built grammar file and write in the same element of a callflow. Furthermore, there is no other system that lets a designer select a specific output of a prebuilt grammar for special treatment in a callflow. The system we describe below overcomes these problems.
One such system, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,411, discusses a simplification of the process of developing call or dialogue flows for use in an Interactive Voice Response system where three principal aspects of the invention include a task-oriented dialogue model (or task model), a development tool and a dialogue manager. The task model is a framework for describing the application-specific information needed to perform the task. The development tool is an object that interprets a user specified task model and outputs information for a spoken dialogue system to perform according to the specified task model. The dialogue manager is a runtime system that uses output from the development tool in carrying out interactive dialogues to perform the task specified according to the task model. The dialogue manager conducts the dialogue using the task model and its built-in knowledge of dialogue management. Plus, generic knowledge of how to conduct a dialogue is separated from the specific information to be collected in a particular application. It is only necessary for the developer to provide the specific information about the structure of a task, leaving the specifics of dialogue management to the dialogue manager. This invention describes a form-based method for developing very simple speech applications, and does not address at all the use of external grammar files.
Another system, U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,336, discusses a voice browser for interactive services. A markup language document, as described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,336 patent, includes a dialogue element including a plurality of markup language elements. Each of the plurality of markup language elements is identifiable by at least one markup tag. A step element is contained within the dialogue element to define a state within the dialogue element. The step element includes a prompt element and an input element. The prompt element includes an announcement to be read to the user. The input element includes at least one input that corresponds to a user input. A method in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of creating a markup language document having a plurality of elements, selecting a prompt element, and defining a voice communication in the prompt element to be read to the user. The method further includes the steps of selecting an input element and defining an input variable to store data inputted by the user. Although this invention describes a markup language similar, but not identical to, VoiceXML, and includes the capacity (like VoiceXML) to refer to either built-in or external grammars, it does not address the resolution of specific new options with the contents of existing grammars.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,266 discusses a dialogue module that includes computer readable instructions for accomplishing a predefined interactive dialogue task in an interactive speech application. In response to user input, a subset of the plurality of dialogue modules are selected to accomplish their respective interactive dialogue tasks in the interactive speech application and are interconnected in an order defining the callflow of the application, and the application is generated. A graphical user interface represents the stored plurality of dialogue modules as icons in a graphical display in which icons for the subset of dialogue modules are selected in the graphical display. In response to user input, the icons for the subset of dialogue modules are graphically interconnected into a graphical representation of the call flow of the interactive speech application, and the interactive speech application is generated based upon the graphical representation. Using the graphical display, the method further includes associating configuration parameters with specific dialogue modules. Once again, this existing invention describes a graphical callflow builder using dialogue modules as elements, but does not address the resolution of specific new options with the contents of existing grammars.